EU Approves Sanctions On Israeli West Bank Settlers, Hamas Leaders After Hungary Drops Veto

The European Union approved new sanctions on Monday against Israeli settlers over violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, with the decision reached at a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers.

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EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it was “high time we move from deadlock to delivery,” adding that “Extremisms and violence carry consequences.”

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French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot welcomed the turnaround after Hungary’s former premier Viktor Orban had blocked the sanctions for months, writing that the EU was “sanctioning the main Israeli organisations guilty of supporting the extremist and violent colonisation of the West Bank”.

The BBC said the EU also agreed to sanction more representatives from Hamas, while noting that there was “technical and legal work that must be done in the EU before the sanctions are officially imposed.”

Israel quickly condemned the measures, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar saying the European Union had chosen “in an arbitrary and political manner, to impose sanctions on Israeli citizens and entities because of their political views and without any basis.”

The BBC reported that EU officials said seven settlers or settler organisations would be sanctioned, and that the EU also agreed to sanction more representatives from Hamas.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported that a senior Hamas official, Basem Naim, accused the EU of political hypocrisy and racism, saying it “equates a fascist executioner who boasts of committing genocide and ethnic cleansing, a rogue state that violates every international law, with the victim who defends itself according to all laws and statutes,” to Reuters.

The BBC also said Israeli media reported that the sanctioned individuals and organisations include Daniella Weiss, known as the “godmother” of the settler movement, and organisations including Nachala and Regavim, as well as HaShomer Yosh and Amana.

The sanctions package targeted three Israeli settlers and four settler organisations, whose identities had not yet been publicly disclosed, and the EU agreement began its legislative procedure for imposing sanctions.

“EU agrees sanctions on Israeli settlers over West Bank violence The twenty-seven foreign ministers of the European Union approved new sanctions on Monday on Israeli settlers over rising violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank”

BBC

The Guardian said the EU still lacked consensus among the 27 member states on more hard-hitting trade sanctions, even as France and Sweden called for tariffs on imported products from illegal settlements.

POLITICO reported that Kallas said there were “discussions on the trade issues, limiting trade with the illegal Israeli settlements,” and that the EU would continue to work with the Commission on presenting proposals.

The Guardian described the move as a “welcome (baby) step” and said the full list of names had not been published following Monday’s agreement in principle, while also noting that some member states pushed for enforcement of labelling and banning of settler products and for ending research cooperation with Israel.